PROPHETIC PRECISION OF CHRIST'S CRUCIFIXION

The awful details of His sufferings on the cross are portrayed graphically in the 22nd Psalm, written by David almost 1,100 years before its fulfillment.

The Psalm begins with the cry from the cross: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” The darkness is pictured. The mocking by the priests and others at the foot of the cross is described. The terrible bodily sufferings induced by the crucifixion process are recorded. The piercings of His hands and feet to receive the nails binding Him to the cross are mentioned. The stripping of His garments and gambling over their possession by the soldiers crucifying Him is predicted. His awful thirst is mentioned and even the vinegar which was offered to Him. The collapse of His heart cavity, leading to the strange emergence of mingled blood and water from His side, is suggested. The fact that, despite the intensity of His sufferings, none of His bones would be broken, is foretold. The piercing of His side is suggested. The wounds in His hands may also have been noted. There is no need for a detailed exposition of Psalm 22 here, but it is surely one of the most marvelous passages in all the Word of God, and will richly repay detailed and prayerful study by each individual Christian.

Psalm 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Psalm 22:2 OMy God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. Also Amos 8:9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;
Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
Psalm 22:7-8 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “ He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Matthew 27:49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” Mark 15:29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,
Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
Matthew 27:35a Then they crucified Him,
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. Psalm 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
Matthew 27:35a Then they crucified Him,
Psalm 22:17-18 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
Matthew 27:35b Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Zechariah 13:6 And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
John 19:33, 36 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”